Rowers Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy become first Irish athletes to win Tokyo 2020 gold
The favourites powered past the German crew to win gold in the lightweight men's double sculls.
Rowing
Irish athletes Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy have won a spectacular lightweight men's double sculls final in a time of 6:06.43, pipping the German crew of Jonathan Rommelmann and Jason Osborne (6:07.29) to gold, after the two crews raced neck-and-neck to the finish line.
The Irish pair set a world best time of 6.05.33 in the semi-finals and were highly favoured in the final but the German pair made it a race to remember, matching the Irish duo's efforts until the final strokes of the final.
O'Donovan became an Olympic silver medallist at Rio 2016, when he raced alongside his brother Gary. However, he has now taken the top spot on the podium along with his new partner McCarthy, as the pair became the first Irish athletes to win gold at this year's Games.
Third place, and with it the bronze medal, went to the Italian crew of Stefano Oppo and Pietro Ruta.
The race represents the first time Irish rowers have ever won gold at an Olympic Games. However, O'Donovan was calm about the new place he and his teammate hold in the history books.
“To be honest, you don’t feel much about it at all, people ask 'has it sunk in yet' but I don’t think they ever do really," he said.
"There is a ceiling on how well and happy you can feel about this type of thing. We try to be happy about the place all the time.
"It gives you a boost for sure, but alright, I mean you are not going to explode with excitement and happiness after you know?”
McCarthy, on the other hand, acknowledged the fact that the people of Ireland will be celebrating a first gold medal at these Games, saying "(I felt) just a lot of pride, really. I am glad to have done it for everyone back home."
And as far as the celebrations go, the first stop will be a well-deserved trip to the Tokyo 2020 athletes' canteen: “We will have a trip to the dining hall first," he said. "We have been waiting all week. It will be nice to go there and not keep an eye on what we are eating.”